One man's War: Inspiring courage and spectacular luck

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	• If You Survive George Wilson Ballantine Books, 1997 - 292 pages average customer review:based on 53 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A five start personal account

If you are looking for a great first-hand account of infantry combat in WWII then this is your book. From beginning to end he tells not only his story but the personal actions of those around him. As a Lieutenant servering on the front lines almost continuously from July 1944 through February 1945 he saw it all and does a tremendous job relating his story.

The best firsthand account I have read...

This book was extremely captivating. Mr. Wilson's telling of his experiences is so vivid, it's hard to put the book down. I was especially interested in his description of the battle of the Hurtgen Forest, which I had never heard of previously, as well as the deprivations that our troops had to go through. If you enjoy reading about ordinary soldiers in WWII, you will enjoy this book.

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First class account of an infantryman in the ETO.

Author George Wilson was a replacement assigned to F Company of the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division on 7/12/44. Joining the only 5 men left of the original 40 of the 2nd platoon, he was soon caught up in the breakout at St. Lo. The action quickly moves beyond Paris to the heartbreak of the Hurtgen Forest. This is the finest telling of that engagement this reviewer has read. No winter wear, nearly constant and merciless artillery and mortar fire, murderous tree bursts and epidemic trench foot were only part of their suffering. On the morning of 11/30, his company started out with 140 riflemen, two medics, 3 noncoms, and 5 officers. At day's end, they had lost the medics, all noncoms, 4 officers and 90 riflemen. By the next day, there were only a total of 12 men left to the company after reaching their objective, the Cologne Plains. Thoroughly decimated and only partially reinforced, and in a near final irony, they were relieved and given R and R in the Ardennes only days before the start of the Bulge. Unbelievably, the battle weary men of the 4th Div. stopped the Germans cold in their section and managed to set the southern boundary to the 75-mile breakthrough.

George Wilson was never given the decorations or the field promotion he had been promised.

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One man's War: Inspiring courage and spectacular luck

Men experience war in different ways and some men have good wars, some have bad. George Wilson had a good war. He seemed perfectly equipped, with his Michigan State football scholarship and strong moral beliefs, as well as an essential dose of fabulous luck. As Wilson takes us through France (he landed after D-Day)to Paris and then to the Ardennes, we marvel at how anyone could have survived the carnage of Hitler's retreat across Europe.

Wilson's account is highly informative but necessarily self-centered. His writing style makes it difficult for the reader to understand much about Wilson's mostly nameless comarades, even the fellow officer whose death reduced the writer to bitter tears. This apart, the book is a fascinating insight, complete with some unanswered questions and stunning acts of bravery set amid the desparate final months of Hitler's war.

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Unbelievable

If you are looking for an action packed, non-fiction story of front line combat during WWII then look no further. I have read quite a few personal histories written by former GI's describing their experience in Europe, but very few have been as explosive and action packed as this one. Wilson fought from the St.Lo breakout in July, through France to the Hurtgen, Held the edge of the Bulge in the Ardennes and fought his way across the Rhine into Germany. He was mainly a platoon leader and was therefore, out of necessity, on the front line most of the time. He doesn't write about his home life or even much about camp life seeming to stick to his experience of confronting the enemy and teaching his men to do the same. This book is very cheap and a very easy read so it would be a shame not to pick it up. You won't regret it!

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, page 8, 9, 10, 11

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recommendations

A "Must" read for any non-fiction buffs.

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